The following prisoner-of-war letter was written by 1st Lieutenant Samuel Patton Inks who served in McRae’s 15th Arkansas Regiment. He was taken prisoner at Pea Ridge and sent initially to Alton, Illinois, and then to Camp Chase in Columbus, Ohio, arriving at the latter prison on 1 May 1862. He was eventually forwarded on to Johnson’s Island, Ohio. After his release from prison, he performed quartermaster duties and served on Cabell’s Staff in 1864, being promoted to the rank of Captain.

Transcription

Camp Chase Prison
Columbus, Ohio
April 21st 1862

Dear Home Folks,

I avail myself of the first opportunity of writing to you since my imprisonment. This may and it may not reach you. I am in only moderate health. Uncle James, Hiram Spencer, James Buchanan, and Thomas Heinbree are at Alton in Illinois. I left there the last of last month. Captain Buchanan is her with me.

I received one letter from Uncle James since I am here. He was well. They are comfortably situated though confined in what used to be the state penitentiary. ¹ We are also as comfortable as could be expected under the circumstances. I have written to Uncle Thomas but have not had time to hear from him. I want some of my friends to write to me. Direct your letters to myself or Uncle James (a prisoner of war)—the 1st at Camp Chase Prison, Columbus, Ohio; the latter to Alton, Illinois. On the corner of the envelope write via Fortress Monroe & Flag of Truce.

Write nothing that would be considered contraband as it will not be permitted to pass and don’t seal your letter. My love to all. I must close as I am allowed only to write one page as it takes too much time to examine them.

Your affectionately, — Samuel P. Inks

¹ Samuel informs us in this letter that he was first confined in the State Prison at Alton, Illinois. In three years, more than 11,700 Confederate prisoners passed through the gates of the Alton Prison, which opened in 1833 and closed in 1860. “In December of 1861, after inspecting the facilities, Major General Henry Halleck, Commander of the Department of the Missouri, prepared to have the prison re-opened as a the Alton Federal Military Prison. On Feb. 9, 1862, the first prisoners arrived at the prison. Inmates of the prison included Confederate soldiers, citizens imprisoned for treason acts, and bushwackers or guerillas imprisoned for acts against the government. Much of the time, the prison was overcrowded, prisoners were malnourished and had inadequate clothing. Under these dilapidated conditions, prisoners were exposed to influenza, dysentery and small pox. The small pox epidemic grew in numbers, and the official military death toll listed 1,354 deceased. A monument dedicated to those who perished can be found at their burial site in the Confederate Cemetery. After the war, the prison was privately purchased and building blocks were removed. Only a small remnant of the wall (restored in 1973) may be visited today.” [Source: Enjoy Illinois]